Pansies Planted … Garden Update

 I planted 80 Matrix Pansies today.  I bought them from Cornelius Nursery which was acquired by Calloway's Nursery several years ago.  My understanding is that Calloway's Nursery was started in the Dallas metro area by ex Wolfe Nursery employees.  My first job growing up in Dallas (while in High School) was at the former Wolfe Nursery location on Coit Road near the Central Expressway.  Could that be why I like gardening so much?  Anyway, it's a little late to be planning Pansies.  It's apparently better to plant them in late October so they have more time to develop their root systems before we get cold snaps like Nov 13-15 this year.  I did sprinkle 4 lbs of Calloway's Pansy Food which has a 7-11-7 formulation when I planted them.

There was some damage from the light freeze of Nov 13-15 (lows of 32, 31 & 32) as can be seen below to the Zinnias & Vinca in the bed now occupied by the Pansies.  Also, Sweet Potato Vines are very susceptible to even the slightest freeze.  However, they are related to the potato family and will sprout up from their roots when warmer weather returns in the spring!

The fall garden continues to thrive as you can see from the pics below.  The lettuce is doing great … didn't mind the cool weather one bit!  I'm starting to give away lettuce to neighbors, friends at church and folks at work.  The Yolo Wonder Bell Peppers didn't like the light freeze … but came through ok as none of the peppers were damaged … several plants are still blooming which could mean additional peppers in the near future … assuming of course we don't get a hard freeze in December.  About half of the Euryops have died … but one has cute little yellow blooms on it.  Most of the Coral Bells also bit the dust … but the one pictured below looks healthy and has beautiful coloring.